Debra Borchardt
Ayr Wellness Inc. (OTCQX: AYRWF) reported its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2021, with revenue rising 74% to $58.4 million. Ayr trimmed its net losses slightly to $8.4 million from last year’s $8.6 million for the same time period.
“Q1 2021 represents the early innings of our 2021 strategic transformation, as we successfully closed on our announced acquisitions as scheduled, starting with the February 25 th closing of our acquisition of Liberty Health Sciences, adding the fourth largest retail footprint in Florida,” said Jonathan Sandelman, CEO of Ayr Wellness. “We then closed on our Arizona acquisition at the end of March, adding three dispensaries and a large cultivation expansion in the latest adult-use market to ramp-up in the West. Then we quickly followed that by closing our acquisitions in Ohio, and harvesting our first flower in Pennsylvania, which hit the shelves in our stores earlier this month. We also opened our sixth store in Nevada, the closest dispensary to the Las Vegas airport, just in time for the return of tourism to the state.”
“The results of our successful execution thus far can be seen in our April monthly revenues, which have nearly doubled since January. We expect step function growth across Q2, Q3 and especially Q4 2021, with further milestones reached when additional cultivation projects come on-line and we close our New Jersey acquisition later this summer,” Mr. Sandelman continued.
“We have always invested in building strong foundations for our business. As we expand in seven states, that means 2021 will be a year of investment in our brands. Especially in adult-use markets where merchandising, quality and selection drive consumer behavior, we are putting important resources into elevating and evolving the Ayr Wellness brand. We have partnered with a premier branding company to build the foundations for our national branding strategy – to be cultivators of wellness and creators of wonder with the highest quality flower and a reimagined dispensary design and consumer experience. These investments are expected to drive additional revenue growth in the second half of 2021 and into 2022 and beyond,” Mr. Sandelman concluded.
Outlook
Ayr said it is expecting second-quarter revenue to grow 54% to approximately $90 million, which would be a 218% increase year-over-year. The Adjusted EBITDA margin on a US GAAP basis is expected to remain in the 30% range in the second quarter, reflecting the investment in new markets and growth projects that are expected to generate more meaningful revenue in the second half of 2021 and in 2022. The company said it is reiterating its target for 2022 revenue of at least $725 million. On a US GAAP-adjusted basis, it is also reiterating its guidance for 2022 Adjusted EBITDA of $300 million, which is comparable to $325 million on an IFRS basis.
